Fentanyl and its analogues are opioids whose abuse has spawned major crises in Canada and the US. Low exposure levels of 1-2 mg are lethal and were the cause of over 60,000 overdose cases in the US and approximately 6,000 cases in Canada in 2016. First responders and their canines are coming into contact with these drugs which contact occasionally results in intoxication and the need for emergency medical treatment. Present analytical systems require sample collection and testing in a laboratory, which takes time to produce results. These are not field deployable technologies.
The epidemic of opioid overdose cases in the US and Canada from opioids has reached alarming levels. These drugs are inhaled, may lead to respiratory arrest and are 50 times more lethal than heroin and 100 times more lethal than morphine.
Several technologies are in the market and consist of desk top or hand held ion mobility detectors, portable infrared chemical identifiers and laser Raman handheld detectors. These technologies allow users to test bulk quantities of unknown substances, provided they are programmed in their libraries and are accessible to the user. The drawbacks of these techniques are cost, limited ability to detect traces of airborne drugs or vapors, and the requirement that all fentanyl analogues be programmed into their libraries. There are over 40 Fentanyl analogues in circulation and not all are commercially available for standard programming of detectors. Also, real street drugs are usually mixed and adulterated with other drugs or acting agents that might interfere with the detection of the opioids. The limitations of these devices in day-to-day operation of first responders and police officers put them at risk and threaten their safety during a response.